Black Boxes: HP Media Center PC

by Charles Mohnike
Summer/Fall 2003

Company: Hewlett-Packard
Contact: (800) 752-0990
Web Site: www.hp.com
Price: $1,999

Here at Smart TV & Sound we've seen plenty of PC-based units claiming to be all-in-one media solutions to replace your standalone DVD player, Net-top box and VCR in your entertainment center. Such units are almost always equipped with the latest and fastest hardware, but in our reviews, they tend to live and die by the strength of their interfaces: How easily can the computer be controlled by a user sitting on a couch several feet away from the screen using a remote control? Enter Microsoft Windows XP's Media Center Edition interface, run on a powerful HP Media PC.

Setting Up The System
It took us a little over 30 minutes to bring the system from its Styrofoam packing to its first boot-up, due to the large number of great peripherals included with the unit. Moderately experienced users will have no problems installing the fairly standard keyboard, mouse and USB remote receiver and novices should easily be able to match the HP's color-coded plugs and cables.

Our review system shipped with HP's flat-screen monitor (not included in the unit's street price). We initially tested the unit with the computer monitor, but the interface was lovely on a television via S-video output. Finally, we connected to a shared DSL via the onboard Ethernet port, though the system also includes a 56k modem for dial-up users. Some form of Internet access is critical in order to get the most from these systems, since features like the TV program guide must periodically connect with remote servers.

On first boot the HP practically leapt to life, starting Windows XP in just a few seconds. Although the fans and hard disk were initially very PC-esque in their noise levels, the CPU fan throttled back to an almost silent level once everything was loaded. The system immediately loaded the Windows XP Media Center Edition, a new Microsoft interface that's designed to put several types of AV media under one central command interface and to provide ease of navigation either by mouse or the included remote. The Media Center led us through several screens of setup information requesting our local zip code, our TV service type (broadcast, cable, or dish) and our preferred Internet connection method.

Exploring Media
Using the Media Center for the first time, we found a short menu offering quick access to all of the HP's media features: My TV, My Music, My Pictures, My Videos and Play DVD. The front of the computer also has physical buttons that correspond to these features. It's Microsoft's Media Center interface that's responsible for putting systems like the HP head-and-shoulders above most PC/TV hybrids, since the interface boasts large text labels that are easy to read from a distance on standard televisions, as well as a clean and efficient menu hierarchy affording quick access to a surprisingly large number of tasks. When used without the Media Center interface, the Media PC also functions as a standard computer running Windows XP.

We started with the My TV function and found a program guide similar to that on ReplayTV and TiVo machines. By scrolling through the grid using the remote's directional buttons, we could easily view live programs or set future programs to record. Like most digital video recorders, the HP also allowed us to pause live TV, though it didn't have a commercial skip function. The 120GB hard disk on the system will allow you to record many tens of hours of programming, depending on the quality level selected. Recorded TV programs may also be archived to DVD via the system's included DVD writer.

The My Music function also offered a nice blend of familiar features. We copied a number of audio CD's to the HP's hard drive, allowing the software to contact a database that supplied song titles and a thumbnail image of the CD cover as a navigational aid. The software sorted and queued songs by a variety of criteria, such as by style of music or by playlist. (Note: While most audio CD's can be copied to a computer hard drive, there are a handful of new releases that won't play on computer CD players.) The Klipsch sound system is not the usual "PC speaker on steroids" variety that often accompanies multimedia systems. Rather, it's a serious 500-watt system that compares favorably to many standalone surround-sound receivers.

The My Pictures function offers a unified interface for managing image files, which can be easily imported using the front-mounted 6-in-1 memory card reader. The software then arranged the images in random or custom slideshows and displayed full-screen.

Space Considerations
As an all-in-one unit, the HP Media PC will particularly appeal to buyers for which space is a premium as an all-in-one unit. The introductory video displays the computer being used in a dorm room and it's easy to see how the Media PC would particularly shine in that context. Factor in the unit's included bundle of productivity software, including WordPerfect and Quicken, and the HP Media Center is an all-in-one solution that's equally effective at work as a powerful computer workstation or at play as the central component in a home theater system. The concept and features are amazing: It's a jukebox on steroids, a DVD player, a Nintendo-like game machine and a TiVo-like DVR rolled into one distinctly PC- shaped box. The only question is, will Americans have a place for it in living room next to the TV?

[Sidebar: Copy Protection in Windows XP's Media Center Edition]
When Microsoft initially released XP's Media Center Edition, it responded to entertainment-industry fears by including some of the most draconian copy protection methods found in any AV gear. Specifically, it designed the operating system so that media content recorded on one computer could only be viewed on that particular machine. Sharing content was disallowed.

Consumers cried foul, citing the 1984 Betamax case that gave viewers the right to tape a broadcast movie with a VCR and then view it at a friend's house. Responding to public pressure, Microsoft altered the software in October 2002, easing the copy protections so that archived programs could now be shared between machines and burned to DVDs viewable on compatible standalone players.

SMART SPECS
Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition
Processor: Intel Pentium 4 2.66GHz
Memory: 512MB DDR SDRAM
Hard Drive: 120GB, 7200rpm
DVD+RW/+R Writer: 2.4x DVD write/re-write
CD-ROM Drive: 48x
Input Devices: PS/2 Optical Scroll Mouse, Remote Control + IR receiver (USB), keyboard 6-in1 Media Card Reader: SmartMedia, Memory Stick, MultiMediaCard (MMC), Secure digital (SD), CompactFlash I/II, IBM Microdrive
Communications: 10/100 Base-T Fast Ethernet; 56K modem; IEEE 1394, USB 2.0
Display: NVIDIA GeForce4 MX420 display card (dual-head, composite out, component out)
Audio: Sound Blaster Audigy 24-bit with Dolby 5.1
Speakers: Klipsch ProMedia 5.1 500 watt THX
Weight: 35 lbs
Dimensions (inches): 15.5(d) x 8.25(w) x 15.25(h)
Bundled Software: HP Memories Disc Creator, Encyclopedia Britannica Premium Service Online, My DVD, WordPerfect Productivity Pack, HP Picture & Video Toolkit, RecordNow, InterVideo WinDVD SE, Intuit Quicken Financial Center, Symantec Norton Antivirus 2002